Two Dead After Navy Helicopter Goes Down Off VA Coast

The Navy says a second crewmember of five aboard a Navy helicopter that crashed into the ocean off Virginia has died.

The Navy says the crewmember was among four who were plucked from the seas about 20 miles off Virginia. Their helicopter went down during a routine training mission Wednesday morning.

Another of the rescued four died earlier.

Two other crewmembers remain hospitalized in Norfolk, while a search continues for the fifth.

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One of four crewmembers who was rescued when a military helicopter went down in the Atlantic off Virginia has died, the Navy said Wednesday in a statement.

The Navy said the crewman died hours after he was rescued about 20 miles east of Virginia Beach and taken to a civilian hospital in Norfolk. Three other crew members are being evaluated at the hospital.

The search continues for a fifth crew member in the 42 degree seas.

The identity of the dead crewman has not been released.

The Navy identified the aircraft as an MH-53E. The helicopter assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen based at Naval Station Norfolk was conducting routine training operations, the Navy said.

According to the Naval Air Systems Command website, the aircraft performs airborne mine countermeasures and onboard delivery missions. It holds a crew of up to eight, including two pilots and is capable of speeds of more than 170 mph.

The helicopter measures 99 feet long and more than 28 feet tall. It weighs 69,750 pounds.

The chopper's mission or why it went down was not immediately known.

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The Coast Guard says 4 of 5 aboard Navy helicopter that went down 18 miles off Virginia have been rescued.

Petty Officer David Weydert says the helicopter was reported down about 11 a.m. Wednesday. There is no word on any casualties or where the fifth missing person is.

Weydert said two Coast Guard vessels were responding to the crash site, and one was within 3 miles of where the helicopter went down.

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